RWBY: 4 Knights of Remnant
by KP360
Summary: Even in times of peace, humanity is always in danger. Creatures of Grimm lurking outside of their walls is proof of that. War, however, is closer than you think. 4 teens, who are curious about their place in the world, will step up as warriors just like others have. But it will take more than simply being a team to become the stalwarts protectors they are destined to be.
1. Introductions: part 1

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the sole property of Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. KP360 claims no ownership save for any OCs, abilities and locations.**

 **Ascend Trailer:**

Vacuo's sand dunes weren't exactly the place one would expect to find people, nor do you exactly want to go there. The desert is a harsh mistress in its own right, outside the main city you generally won't find much people. But, despite all odds, some stubborn people cling on, generally surviving and defiant against the numerous Grimm that are scattered around the place.

The small villages that the bullhead landed in rarely gets visitors, so it was quite a shock when one does show up. However, it seems that these passengers were clearly not here to sight see. This time it was to do business.

"Professor, are you sure this is the place?" a blond woman asked her companion as they stepped off the air transport. Brushing his grey hair back, Ozpin's eyes didn't reveal anything.

"I understand the location is rather bleak, but according to our contact, this is the location." The headmaster continued forward. He was aware of the stares he was getting from few people coming out of their homes; it seems that these people didn't take to strangers very well. While they weren't about to get hostile, distrust was clear in their eyes. This village is one that was rather hidden to begin with, and rarely do they get guests.

"I must still object to this, this goes against protocol." The woman spoke again.

"I am well aware of that, Glynda. However, given the circumstances the subject has been through I chose to investigate further. And I've decided to see this out."

"Of course, professor. You make the rules." Glynda only sighed "Well where is he? He said he'll be here when we land!"

"We all know what kind of person he is, Glynda. And he does not like to be rushed." Ozpin shrugged and took a sip from his coffee mug. Hearing this the woman only sighed. Sometimes Glynda Goodwitch really can't figure out what goes on in her superior's mind.

But soon enough, there were footsteps coming towards them.

"So you actually came! And you brought me a pretty lady too" a deep voice sounded. The duo turned to see a rather stout and bearded man walk towards them with a smirk on his face. Glynda scowled at this, but Ozpin only nodded and went forward to greet him.

"Gron Eldin, I believe we spoke earlier."

"That we did, I was rather surprised the Great Ozpin came so soon." Tightening up his green vest Gron led them towards a small house on the edge of the village. "I know I was the one that recommended this, but I will have to warn you. The kid going to a bit hard to convince, especially after that incident…"

"I've dealt with people like him before. I should have no problem. Forgive me for repeating myself, but does he really have the potential as you've said?" Ozpin nodded.

"If I didn't believe that, do you think I would've been training him?" the bearded man smirked.

As they got closer to the house, they can hear a soothing melody; harmonica music is always beautiful when played well. Gron smiled softly when he noticed.

"His favorite past time, he says it brings him closer to the world."

Ozpin nodded, and soon the small trio could see a figure sitting on the front porch of the house, eyes closed and focusing on the musical instrument.

The figure was a teenage boy, 17 years of age. His attire is rather simplistic, an orange t-shirt and green sweatpants and wearing a pair of sandals. He felt people approaching him and sighed, putting down the harmonica and stared at the incoming group.

"Alright, spill. How much lien did the old bag pay you to come here?"

Gron sighed and glanced at Ozpin "You see what I mean?"

Ozpin gave an amused smile. He can feel the boy's copper colored eyes watching him wearily. Now standing, Ozpin could see that he's a rather tall 185 cm. Coarse, amber colored hair streaked down his head. It's clear the boy had been

"Oz, Flare T'Angelo" Gron pointed "Flare-"

"I know who he is. Beacon Academy is rather prestigious. To be fair I didn't expect the headmaster himself to show up though. Way to make a guy feel special!"

"Flare T'Angelo" Ozpin greeted "I've heard quite a bit from your benefactor here."

"Oh, I'm sure you have! After all, that old sack wants nothing more than me out of the house. But before we get anywhere I'm just going to stop wasting anymore of your time. The answer is no."

"Hmm? I didn't even ask you anything yet." Ozpin pointed out.

"Don't bother, I already know. You want me to go to Beacon and train to become a huntsman there. First of all I haven't even passed primary combat school, I would've if not for… circumstances but that's beside the point. And even then I have no interest to be exploited as I came to Vacuo to be alone and I would like it to continue that way. So if that's all you're here to talk about, I bid you farewell." Flare waved and began to walk away.

"Now listen here you ungrateful brat I-" Gron snapped and was about to stop him but was stopped when Ozpin held out his cane. The headmaster couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

"They said you were going to be difficult, I guess this is what they mean." The headmaster walked forward slowly. Flare's piercing gaze never faltered, but Ozpin doesn't seem fazed in the least. "And you don't have to worry about a thing. I'd rather not force anybody to come to my school; they usually don't produce good results. However, when I look at you, I see a child that has been wronged and now curse the world he lives in. I am simply offering you another view."

"Gee, you must've memorized those lines by now." Flare snorted.

"Perhaps I did, doesn't change the facts of what I've said though. And don't worry, I already know much about what has happened. Flare T'Angelo, age 17. An orphan, originally from Mistral. Attended Sanctum Academy for a single year before being involved in an incident that resulted in your expulsion. A week prior to that was when your powers awakened for the first time. Eventually settled in Vacuo after encountering Gron Eldin. Anything I missed?"

"Ok, you're getting on my nerves…" the teenager snarled. How the heck did this old man get all of his personal information is beyond him; Gron probably told him, but this doesn't give him any right to spew it in front of him! Before he can strike the headmaster, he noticed that Ozpin hasn't taken his gaze off of him. The stoic eyes revealed nothing, but for some reason it was enough to make him falter.

"I also wish to tell you that those involved in the incident have been found and tried. They are no longer an issue. I'm not a judge of unsavory characters but even I don't want to be where they are now. However, that's not the point here. You may have had the feeling that the rest of humanity only views your powers as a tool, but I'm here to offer you the chance of using it for its salvation."

"I already told you I don't-"

"Before you give your answer, at least show us what you can do. Glynda?" Ozpin beckoned. The blond haired woman nodded and activated her semblance. A few distances away, a massive boulder began shaking, before lifting off the ground and flying straight at the boy at a high speed.

"What the?! You're insane!" Flare shouted, but Ozpin did not say anything. The boy could do nothing as the rock careened towards him and landed with a crash. That is until…

 ***CRAAACCKKKK**

A large fault line appeared in the middle of the rock, then more cracks appeared before the rock shattered into dust. When the dust cleared Flare's copper eyes were glowing dangerously, but that wasn't what the focus was on; that belonged to the large red shroud of energy that surrounded the boy that took the shape of a head and torso of an armored warrior. The spectral figure bellowed towards the sky, its helmeted head was adorned with deer antlers while one glowing eye peered out from the eyehole. Then it fizzled out of existence and Flare dropped to his knees panting hard.

"And there it is, **Odinforce** in the flesh!" Gron laughed.

"The Primordial Aura, something that appears in one in every 50 000 people. And you just happened to possess such a talent. It is-" Ozpin began

"Yeah, there you go, you've seen it!" Flare snapped "Now tell me what you want with it!"

"I already told you, I want to offer you the chance to use that power for humanity's salvation. You have a power that, if tempered right, will be a driving aid in humanity's fight against the Grimm. Although other people have viewed it as a source for more… morally questionable reasons, I want to see how far you will develop. And I believe you will go far." Ozpin stated with the same tone as before. This really confused Flare; normally people who took an interest in his power generally reveal their nature quickly, if not straight away. It's been so frequent that both he and Gron have become rather adept at reading the inner feelings of people. However, Ozpin was a completely different case. Flare can sense no hostility, yet he also can't get an accurate reading on the headmaster.

"You really think there's a place for me to help the world at Beacon?" he asked one more time.

"That is for you to find out, and to do that you will have to come." Ozpin stated as he and Goodwitch began returning to their ride "I'm sure you already know what decision to make, Mr. T'Angelo."

"I would think hard about this, Mr. T'Angelo, Farewell." Glynda Goodwitch also gave her regards before following the headmaster.

As the two walked out of sight, Tiberius felt Gron clasp his shoulder.

"You should take his advice" The man rumbled as he opened his palm towards him, showing a mark of a hammer and anvil. Flare instinctively held his own hand out, where a similar mark bearing a spear and lightning cracking around it was seen. "Beacon is a good place to fully develop your abilities, more so than what I can teach you. After all, you haven't even unlocked your semblance yet."

"I'm telling you, this is a waste of time! How do you know he's not just going to stick me in a holding pen and do experiments on me day in and day out or use me as some kind of weapon?" Flare snapped at him.

"If that's what you think, you wouldn't be considering to begin with." Gron scoffed at him. Over the course of a year the two of them could, at the very least, confirm a guardian relationship even if their personalities clash sometimes. "Those who have powers like us are few and far between; we might be the only ones in this kingdom. People like us have always laid low, but I remember when I first found you, the day you cursed the people who put you in that predicament, I could hear the passion in your voice. You wanted to be a protector of humanity just like the hunters and huntresses in those stories, regardless of what Primordial Aura you have. Even as a few scum wished to use it for their own gain, I could still sense that drive."

The boy couldn't think of anything to say back as Gron continued.

"Beacon is where you can truly use the **Odinforce** to become the protector this world needs. That primordial aura, the aura of the ancients, is something used to guard this world from the Grimm. I'm getting old, I can only do so much for you, but you might learn something yet."

"You're a real slimy person, you know that?" Flare sniffed.

"When I have to be," the big man grinned "I'm heading off to prepare your weapon. In the meantime, go and find something that's actually presentable to wear. You got a big event coming up. Oh, and get a haircut while you're at it. It'll be nice if you can actually bring some friends over sometimes."

Flare only sighed and walked into the direction of the village to pick out some clothes. In the end, as much as he tried to resist, it seems like the world really did need him for something.

* * *

 **Creation Trailer:**

Atlas is about as modern as you can get here on Remnant. As the most technologically advanced kingdom, it has both the most advanced military as well as being the main producers of Dust, the ever needed resource for all 4 kingdoms.

While on the surface Atlas was already modern as it is, even further development was going on behind the scenes. Further scientific advancements were happening every day. The future of humanity are further pushed onwards because of this. Here is also were the less savory realms of science delves into, but if it is for the future of humanity, then what's the problem?

Others however, chose to benefit humanity in their own way.

"Sir, the **Black Box** is due for another test." A mechanical voice sounded.

"Very well A.T.U.M, bring 'er out" a young teenage boy dusted himself off as he stood up from his desk. A.T.U.M, or Automatic Transmission Universal Mechanism, is the A.I security and surveillance system within the lab that handles all procedures within. It was the boy's very own invention, and one that is soon to be making its way into many parts of Atlas.

The boy's black hair is styled to fit him perfectly, adorned it with streaks of blue (his personal preference). His formfitting blue coat is different than from what most Atlesian scientists wear. A pair of stylish glasses adorned his face. He had the both the brains and the boyish charm that made him quite the topic within his circle of connections.

The boy made it to the testing chamber, at the center of his large laboratory, where a door slid open and delivered the experiment of the day. Looking like an ordinary black cube, this aptly-named contraption housed technology that even Atlas deems futuristic.

"Daddy's missed you, now let's see if you still have it." The boy smiled as he pressed his hand into the cube. The moment he released his hand, the cube split open and out popped numerous blue holographic images. Tapping his fingers, the boy finally stopped on one image and pressed his finger on that particular one. With that, the holograms disappeared and The box began pixellating into a form of bright light. It enveloped the boy in a blinding flash as the boy grinned as the transformation took place.

Instantly the light spread over his arms and legs, covering them in a blue mechanical armor. The light spread further onto his body, the same blue armor replacing it as well. As the light faded, the boy was transformed completely. The robotic armor covered him completely, his head covered by a face plate that with the eye piece emitting an azure glow as well. Two curved horned shaped objects adorned the top of his head. The suit's hands and feet were both tipped with enhanced steel tips. Forming a fist, the boy's grin got even bigger; AT-MK04 Skybreaker was his favorite suit of them all, he had worked on this one for the past month and so far it seems to work fine. Having the design of both a dragon and a knight, it was meant to as his own take for combating the Creatures of Grimm. This was the reason that the Black Box was such a breakthrough. Unlike Atlas' other scientific endeavors, the Black Box's purpose is to produce solid objects out of nothing but pure light. Add in a bit of Dust and Machinery, and a one-man weapon against the Grimm was born. Granted, one actually has to apply a blueprint of what they want to build to the box first, but once that and all scientific accuracies match up, then that's all you need.

"Alright, now let's take it out for a spin! Begin the test!"

"Test 1: initated" A.T.U.M complied. Multiple targets assembled in the testing area and began darting around the lab. The rocket boosters that extend from wing-like protrusions on the back of the suit flared up instantly and rocketed him towards the nearest target. The boy slammed his fist into it right away, then sped to the next one and doing the same.

"Aerial mobility seems good to go…" he noted as more targets flew at him. Taking the initiative he activated the arsenal of the suit. Multiple barrels emerged from the shoulders, fired high-powered rounds composed of lightning Dust infused bullets.

"Accuracy 97.5, with a marginal error of 0.034…"

One last thing to do.

"Alright Skybreaker, time for that blade of yours to come out." Just as he said, the boy activated the hidden weapon in the suit. A shining sword slid out of a wrist component on the suit and the lad dashed forward and delivered one last horizontal slash, eliminating the last target.

"Test complete. Result 12.41 seconds to destroy 100 targets. Off the mark by 0.005" the automated voice revealed.

"Good to know A.T.U.M, I'll have to tune it up on the weekend." The boy affirmed as the battle suit dissolved back into a light form and shaped itself back into a cube.

"I assume tests were well?" A commanding voice broke the silence.

The boy turned around to see a tall man dressed in the officer's uniform of the Atlesian military standing by the door. The man's graying hairs signified his air of authority and experience. The boy immediately gave a salute.

"General, to what I owe the pleasure."

"Mr. Ao, There is something that involves you I must discuss." If there was anything James Ironwood knew about the boy in front of him, it was that he is an absolute scientific prodigy. It's also for the same reason that he needs to say this.

"First of all, we're all familiar people here, so you know you can call me Lysus." Lysus Ao nodded, his face no longer smiling "And I thought I made it clear there was to be no more discussions on the matter. I am not using the Black Box for Atlas' military."

Ironwood have to sigh at this. The two have great mutual respect for each other but this was one thing, among others, that they cannot see eye to eye with. Not that he can blame the youth, considering the sacrifices that went into producing the Box was something very personal to him. But this was Atlas' future they were talking about.

"Lysus, you do not know what you are saying. With the Box, we no longer have to worry about using resources to further increase our military. The ability to construct solid objects from light is a technological breakthrough that perhaps comes once in a lifetime. You are continuously blowing your career away."

"And what then? We beef up our troops, what will the other kingdoms think? How will they react when they find out we have something with that potential in our ranks? We're already pushing it when we gave a robot the ability to produce aura, what will-"

"Those projects are to protect the Kingdom from the threat of the Creatures of Grimm, you know that just as well as I! If the other kingdoms will feel suspicion for me simply doing my job, then so be it!"

"And you know the Box is always supposed to be used as Atlas' last resort. Even I haven't fully understood its capabilities yet, and you are already considering using it to mass produce our troops? I would never allow it, my team would've never allowed it, and most importantly, _he_ would've never allowed it! Only in the direst situations will I use it in such a fashion." Honestly Lysus knew that this discussion would pop up every now and again, but his answer will always be the same.

Ironwood figured that that this debate, as usual, is going nowhere. Lysus Ao just isn't the type of person to change his mind if he means to do something.

"One day you will see that it is absolutely needed that the Black Box be used to aid Atlas' in the protection of humanity." Before the youth can once again voice the fact that he already plans to, "disregarding that, that wasn't the reason I came today."

Now this was a surprise. Lysus watched with a raised eyebrow as the general handed him a letter.

"Beacon Academy… You're sending me to Beacon?"

"It was with some consideration. But in the end I decided you will be the best choice to go. Oz is beginning a new semester soon and I feel the need to send one of my brightest. It will be good for the image of Atlas as well when they know one of the spearheads in the scientific field will be attending." Ironwood stated.

"I feel like there's a lot more underlying to it than just that." Lysus mentioned.

"Aren't you ever the observant one? Yes, the main reason I want you to go is because of some classified sources regarding a potential future threat we are about to face. If that were to be true, it would impact all 4 kingdoms. Also, it serves as a chance for a field test of the Black Box. If you are willing go as far as you are to justify its use, you will have to see if it's capable in situations where that's applicable, do you not?"

"You know I could just go to Atlas Academy here right? No need to take me that far."

"As much as I want it to be so, I believe this is a better opportunity. You always said you wanted to, in your words, be a hunter with the power of science at his back. And Ozpin has always been rather passive when it comes to such matters. So in short, As much as I trust Oz when it comes to these things I need someone to reliably take action when the situation requires it and that person is you at the moment. You are resourceful and have always known what to do in the worst situations, you and Basilica, Oum rest his soul."

"Yeah, we made a great team back then…" Lysus' eyes were distant, before coming back into focus and giving the general his trademark smirk "Very well, if our all-powerful general wishes it to be so, then I will accept this mission without hesitation."

Ironwood sighed and shook his head at his attitude "In that case, you should go get prepared. I've already sent over your transcripts, not that it's a problem considering you were an ace in all your courses and would've skipped a year had you not decide to drop out of combat school to focus on your scientific endeavor. But if you would be so kind, try not to show off your inventions too much."

"That I will do. How's the bod by the way?" Lysus grinned and tapped the general's right arm as he turned to leave. The sound of machinery could be heard as the general flexed his palm.

"It acts up every once in a while, but for the most part it is proficient." Ironwood nodded as he made his exit "Now go be ready. I am counting on you, Lysus."

Lysus gave one more salute as the door closed, then sighed as he ordered A.T.U.M to prepare a transport for the Black Box. He then went to his desk and glanced at one particular picture, a picture of him and a goat Faunus standing side by side smiling as they presented their first ever successful experiment.

"Maybe you were right Basilica, I really am just another piece in the board…" he sighed as he snatched the picture off the desk "But if that's the case, I'm just going to have to do my job."

 **A/N: Part one of individual trailers. The rest is in the next chapter. Enjoy!**


	2. Introductions: part 2

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the sole property of Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. KP360 claims no ownership save for any OCs, abilities and locations.**

 **Order Trailer:**

"Stand still you mongrel!"

The life of a Faunus on Remnant is not exactly a great one. Although the war has long past, many Faunus are still seen as nothing but animals. Discrimination is common place in the areas where both races live.

"You can only run, can't you beast?"

A particular figure was darting through the trees. The forests of southern Mistral had quite a bit of cover, but even here he knew he was being watched.

"You're nothing but a dog!"

" _Faster, I have to go faster…"_

The person can hear rustling near the bushes next to him. All decked out in combat gear, it seems like he's ready to face whatever comes. The grey leather armor fits him well as he dashed through the trees. His head darted around, listening ever so closely. A black wolf mask obscured much of his head; everything below his eyes was covered by a facemask.

The rustling was growing closer.

" _Anytime now… come on!"_

"Just keep running why you don't? Filthy animal!"

The rustling was right beside him now. The boy figured he will have to fight. Then the underbrush exploded and a black shape threw itself at him. This beowolf has been tracking him for quite some time. However, what it received instead was a sharp pain in its neck as the figure it leapt at lunged his hand forward, two jagged claws extending from a gauntlet on his wrist. With a violent wrench, the figure tore the claw out. The wolf-like Grimm instantly collapsed, black smoke simmering off of it as rapid decay set in.

However, the boy was still hesitant and he had good reason to. For not long after the slaying of that one beowolf, he can already hear the loud chorus of howls and snarls moving towards him. If there was one thing he hated about the wolf-like Grimm, is that there's never just one of them around.

Multiple dark shapes darted out of the brush, their bone-like masks glinting in the moonlight. The boy lost no composure as he extended both pairs of claws. Even with Beowolfs being fast in their own right, the speed which this warrior moved was almost unnatural, shredding multiple beasts with a whirlwind of slashes.

More and more of the piled in, and it was at this moment the boy's supposed pursuer hit the scene. It was another youthful looking male dressed in similar garb to him, except his face was unblocked and his armor was a more reddish color. The first thing he witnessed was the smoking corpses of multiple Grimm as the figure before him darted around.

"Whoa, the shitshow started without me huh?" he mumbled.

"Yes, so if you would be so kind to actually start helping me I would have it much easier." Wolf mask shot back "In fact there's 6 of them heading towards you right now!"

The other boy grimaced and flicked his wrist towards the incoming beasts. A moment past before those creatures howled in pain as their eyes were shot out, ornate shurikens embedded in them. He smirked as he pulled out two more shurikens, only this time they seemed to be spinning faster and laced with wind. Another flick of the wrist and both of these screamed towards his targets, bisecting them completely as they flew forwards and back again like a boomerang. The boy's grin got bigger as he caught them expertly.

Back with Wolf-mask, there were only a handful of Beowolfs left. Even with this the wolf like creatures still hungered for flesh as they pounced at him with claws outstretched. Wolf-mask closed his eyes before reaching behind his back. If he was going to finish it, he might as well take out all of them. The monsters sank their claws into him, only to be met with a cloud of smoke.

This cloud of smoke rapidly dashed towards the remaining Beowolves, phasing through them before circling back again. The monsters let out startled yelps as they tried to swipe at the miasma, but being smoke, their blows simply passed through harmlessly. Then Wolf-mask resolified a few distances away, crouched down and a **ōdachi** held in both hands. Wordlessly he then sheathed the sword, and with that moment, the Beowolves split into multiple smoking pieces.

Wolf-mask then took a deep breath and rose up, taking off the helmet in the process. Underneath he was look like your average 17 year old, his black hair tied into a ponytail and his honey colored eyes observing the surrounding. However, two wolf ears jutted out in the midst of his hair, indicating his Faunus status.

He then did a head count of the now smoking corpses of Grimm, a smile slowly raising as he did so.

"That's 15 to a measly 6. Looks like I win."

The other boy from a few feet away scoffed when he heard that.

"You don't say? You got here earlier than I did, not to mention that semblance of yours is straight up bullshit."

"Keep complaining, the Grandmaster always said you'll be come an expert at that!"

"Kiss my ass, wolf boy!"

Indeed, the lives of Faunus were not the best around here. But strife like that has no place within the Band of Dark Night. As the silent perpetrators of Order within Remnant, there must be no tension between its warriors, as, according to their motto, the shadows must always remain unbroken. Training with the intensity of a primary combat school, the Band is widespread across Remnant, but many remain closer to their headquarters in Mistral.

And that was exactly what these two boys were doing here right now. Unlike the huntsman academies within the four kingdoms, those who pledge allegiance to the Band defend more than just humanity. Its assassins fight for the very balance of Remnant itself. And the Creatures of Grimm in their minds are just one of the abominations that threatens the concept of Order which must be eradicated at all costs. The two may have been successful this time, but the very monsters they kill outnumber the Band by a long shot, and thus there is no rest in this line of work.

"I got to say, luring out this pack of Beowolves by forcing yourself to emit negative energy is useful as ever, Sven. Your insults are getting better too; I think you actually managed to almost hurt my feelings this time."

That was the plan, it was used many times by these two when out on these Grimm hunting missions. By exploiting the Grimm's natural attraction to negative feelings, the duo seeks to lure them out before finishing them off at once. Of course, this only works on small populations such as on this occasion, as when hundreds of the monsters congregate in a single area, they would require more back up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a saint I know." the shuriken user, Sven Azuki, snickered. "With the power of my tactics and Drayton Ashwood's silent killing techniques, it's no wonder they call us the power duo of the Band of Dark Night!"

"That's the worst name for my semblance if I ever heard one." Wolf-mask – Drayton – rebuffed.

"Oh come on! Like you can come up with better! I mean seriously, **Wraith**? That's so cliché!"

"My so-called clichéd name for a semblance did help me win our little contest." Drayton pointed out.

"Aha! So you admit it?" and the argument went on for a while, ending with the two of them laughing like close brothers.

"I still can't believe you're going to Beacon and leaving me behind! It's nice that the Grandmaster wishes for more cooperation with the 4 kingdoms and thus is beginning these projects, but we're separated now! What am I going to do without my little wolf?" Sven groaned again. Drayton grew solemn as that topic came up again.

"I'm sure my replacement would be a fine partner, plus this means you can spend more time with Cherry and not worry about me, in your word, cock-blocking you all the time." He sighed again and put his helmet back on "Still, I cannot understand the Grandmaster's decision. Why did he recommend me to Beacon when there are other warriors more qualified?"

"What's with that attitude? Aren't you the 'Shadow Wolf'? The one who's ways gets things done? Heck, even if you still think some elders of the Band sees you only as _His_ apprentice it doesn't make you any less qualified to attend a huntsman academy!" Sven assured him.

Drayton nodded with resolve "Right… him… Until I make him answer for his betrayal, until I make him face justice for what he's done. I will get the answers I need, even if I have to search through his entire organization to do so."

"Just don't think about it too much. He's strong, and don't take this the wrong way, but even if he was the one that took you under his wing before his defection… I don't think you're ready for him the way you are now."

"I am well aware of that. Which is why if Beacon can actually be enough to hone my skills, I will accept the Grandmaster's request."

"Your dedication never ceases to amaze me… If only I had-"

The two boys were interrupted by a loud snarl coming from the forest behind them, they turned to see glowing red eyes glaring hard at them. The trees exploded outwards an armored Beowolf, larger than the ones they just eliminated, loped towards them with fangs bared.

"Right… there's always an Alpha… well, since we're already here, how about we make do with a little going away party?" Sven smirked as he channeled his aura into his shurikens.

Drayton grinned under his mask "Who am I to stop you?" as smoke gathered around him and he drew his sword once more.

" _Every battle… Every action I take… it will bring me closer to you… And I will bring you to justice!"_

Then the two youths charged the beast, no uncertainty whatsoever within their eyes.

* * *

 **Gathering Trailer:**

"It's always good to be back in the streets of Vale…"

Nighttime is approaching, and the nightlife in the city of Vale is always vibrant. This far out on the city's edge it's a bit darker though. But it's nothing that she hasn't seen before. There really isn't much left in the 4 kingdoms that she hasn't seen before.

The streets are rather dark, but the teenage girl had something to work with. Twirling out what appears to be a baton, she lit one end of fire, thus illuminating more of the area before her.

She was a traveler, always like seeing the sights. The last time she's been in Vale was a couple of months back, when she just graduated from Signal Academy. Since then, she had been going from place to place, seeing everything Remnant has to offer. You could say she can't sit still for long.

Yet Dawn Vermillion isn't exactly going around the 4 kingdoms just to be a tourist. No, she holds a mission that has much more meaning to just travelling and sight-seeing. She wasn't a girl that especially stood out, with her short maroon colored hair tied into two buns, her rather lithe figure hidden by a large green cloak and her knee high steel tipped boots clicking softly as she walked over the stone street. Not that she minded of course, it made what she does easier to get by.

"Polybius… Have we made any progress?" the girl asked internally. Soon after this, one of her aquamarine eyes shifted to an opaque light green.

" _ **4 knights, gather within the makeshift haven, and stand against strife, however unlikely the outcome."**_

"This shit again, huh? It's not like I haven't been aware of that for the past 3 weeks! I already know we have to go to Vale but what then?"

Yup, Polybius… an unknown entity that even she doesn't know how it inhabited her mind. It has been with her ever since, after what she dismissed as nonsense mutterings occasionally graced her mind 3 years back, each time one of her eyes would turn to the same green color and the words fill her head for the duration. It wasn't until after this mysterious force somehow predicted she would awaken her semblance in a spar against her good friend Yang Xiao Long would she really start paying attention to it. At first she thought of it as makeshift coincidence, but more and more "prophecies", always in the form of one short, obscure sentence, became apparent did she finally began to work more actively in deciphering what it all means.

She had little success in doing so, even going off to see quite a few shrinks in order to determine whether she was going insane or not. Even Signal's drunk huntsman Qrow Branwen had little idea what it means, at least Dawn supposed he didn't, for he did tell her to keep tabs on the strange entity, saying it may come in handy someday.

And come in handy it did, for ever since graduation she was sent on a riddle filled adventure of sorts, Polybius would surface every so often to give her some unexpected phrase, where she would figure out some but be stumped at too much. Although, if she had to ask, going all over Remnant to find answers was fun to say the least, not to mention during this time she managed to hone her skills even more; maybe she would continue her schooling to become a huntress for real now.

It was about a month ago, when she had just received her approval of entry into Beacon Academy prior to go on another vacation to Atlas, did Polybius's riddles suddenly took a turn for the bizarre. Whisperings of knights and guardians, of calamity and cataclysm all of this made no sense to her. It doesn't help the fact that Polybius' prophecies are always vague as can be, she has absolutely no idea what it means half the time. These new whispers tells of the gathering of 4 supposed knights that will be the bastion against the Dark forces of Remnant, or at least that's how she views it as. So far, the only one of these alleged 4 knights that have been made apparent is her and that's only because one phrase spoke of her maroon hair.

Deciding to forget about prophecies for now, Dawn made her way to a nearby club. Maybe a few drinks will rest her mind.

Whoever this club's managed by, it is apparent that the housekeeping needs some work. A good number of windows were broken, the dance floor and many lights seemed to have suffered damage, and even some of the bouncers dressed in black suits seemed to have sustained injuries somehow.

She made it to the bar and sat down.

"Did the place get run over by a Goliath or something?" she asked the bartender.

The stink eye Junior Xiong gave her was scathing.

"If you're not going to order anything, quit making small talk. Especially about what happened here."

"Oooh, secrecy. Well, might as well give you some patronage to pay off the damages. 3 shots of fireball please."

Junior raised an eye at that "You got quite a lot of confidence, little lady."

"I can hold my liquor, just bring it up."

"Whatever you say, just don't come crying to me if you pass out in my bar." Junior shrugged and poured her the drink she requested.

"I must say, for someone with poor housekeeping skills, the way you blend the drinks is quite good." Dawn complemented as she downed a shot.

"Very funny" Junior quipped "Except you forgot the part where I had to get surgery." The owner and bartender had a large neck brace wrapped around his neck, and indeed it looks like his movement was limited.

"What exactly happened here, anyways? Did a Goliath really stomp its way through here?"

Junior scoffed "I wish! No, we'd probably won't be as hurt in that case. Here's a tip from me, the two worst things in this world are people who mind other people's business too much, and blonde girls. Stay away from those two kinds of people at all costs." He muttered somewhat bitterly.

"The first one, I won't ask about, but what could a blonde do against a big burly man and a couple of his goons?" Dawn snickered.

"Don't even ask, girl's punches hits harder than a shotgun's. Where does she even get all that strength is beyond me?" Junior groaned.

"Must be one hell of a beating. What did this girl look like, I would love to meet her one day." Dawn grinned again.

"Long blonde hair, wore a crop top and shorts, lilac colored eyes that turns red in an instant, oh and she has these gauntlets. Trust me, don't get associated with a girl like that."

" _Wow, what are the odds?"_ Dawn giggled at that "Ahhh, Yang Xiao Long… still beating up the boys left and right I see."

"Wait, you _know_ her?!" Junior balked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. We went to school together. I haven't seen her in a while I wonder how she's been. Good to see she's still kickin' ass around here."

Junior bristled at that "If I wasn't hurt I'd pound you for keeping that from me." Dawn grinned at that.

"Careful there, those be fightin' words. Well, I like the drinks you serve here. I might come back sometimes." Slipping a couple lien onto the counter, she turned to leave. "Keep the change."

She didn't get two steps away from her seat before she suddenly raised her baton behind her. The small stick soon expanded into a 6 foot long metal bo staff. With good timing too, as two individual sounds of metal meeting metal soon rang out.

"Ahh, I didn't see you girls earlier. Aren't you two pretty?"

Two girls then landed, one wearing white and the other red. Their disinterested gaze housed other intentions as they sprung their bladed heels towards Dawn, only to be met by another block.

"Hey now, why all the hostility? It's not like I've stolen your boyfriends or something, have I?"

"Since Blondie is not here right now, you will have to take her place, right Melanie?" one of the girls addressed the other.

"Indeed so Miltia, indeed so." Melanie addressed her sister.

"Ah, you two are the vengeful types. I'm sorry, but I have to be somewhere." Dawn brushed it off, before having to duck under another kick. This took her by surprise as she felt one of the twins kick her at the back of her head, knocking her down. The Malachite twins then raised their bladed heels upwards, intending on getting one more strike in.

Only to find their bodies completely bounded and unable to move.

"My, my, I really should stop drinking alone…" Dawn mumbled as she rubbed her head; Aura managed to soften the blow but she'd be lying if she said those two didn't know how to fight. Looking to the twins she smirked, seeing them helpless as multiple vines sprouted out of the ground, wrapped around them. At this point she also noticed some of the other people in the bar raising weapons at her, so she activated her semblance once more and tied them up too.

Seeing the twins still vainly struggling to get another strike in, Dawn sighed and gave her staff a small twist. The Malachite twin's eyes widened in horror as one end of the metal pole widened and a large sprout of fire shot out of the end.

"Now, I really didn't like what you did just then, so I'm in a bit of a dilemma right now. You see, I really like this place and I would hate to burn it down, as well as I'd feel super guilty if I'd marred your pretty faces in any way. However, you did just assault me so…"

"Hold on! Everybody drop your weapons!" Junior shouted to his henchmen.

"Look, little lady. I just started repairing the place, and I'd really appreciated if I don't have to do it again. So why don't we let bygones be bygones and I'll give you a free drink?"

Dawn seemed to contemplate it for a bit, before grinning slightly "Well, I suppose since you've taken care of me in the past half hour, so I suppose I'll let it slide just this once. Just make sure your pets don't cross me again, otherwise…" she let out another burst of fire. Junior nodded rapidly, as such Dawn released everybody, the tangled henchmen all tumbling to the ground. Junior let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to have to hold you on that free drink though, I have somewhere to be right now. Perhaps I'll see you some other day." She motioned and sauntered out the door, giggling to herself as Junior shouted at her to send a word to Yang that she's been blacklisted.

* * *

Back out onto the streets of Vale. The semester will start soon. She was about to check into a hotel to stay in for the night before one of her eyes turned to their green hues and words filled her head again.

" _ **The sky will burn, the land will decay, and the Beacon will draw evil. Silver will be awakened, The Fall will be covered by Cinders, and darkness will overrun. Tread by the cutting swords of wounds reopened, Tread by the fires of broken bonds, Tread by ancient forces reawakened, for better or for worse. 4 knights must stand, lest they be trapped by the coming cataclysm, lest they be trapped by Salem."**_

Dawn gasped at the revelation _ **;**_ that was the longest message Polybius ever left her. Not to mention the timing. Will her time at Beacon be marred by events described? She hardly has anytime to figure this out!

"Damn, whatever you're doing inside there Polybius, you wanna turn it down a bit?"

She looked towards the Skyline of Vale, towards the shining tower in the distance. This far Beacon Academy looks quite ominous and foreboding. Dawn steeled herself; whatever Polybius had meant to warn her of, she has to be ready soon.

"Alright, those other 3 knights better have some idea of what they're going to do, because I sure don't. Only one way to find out I guess."

Vines began scrambling up from the payment, carrying her with renewed speed towards the glowing tower. It was time to face destiny.

 **A/N: Well, with Volume 4 airing yesterday I thought it'd be about high time that I wrote one of these myself. This story will be focused on my OC team, Team FAAD (Fade), and their journey that will involve them with struggles of their own. There will be times where the team interact with canon events, but mostly will follow a separate storyline as they have their own adventures to go on.**

 **This was harder than I originally thought it would be. Mostly because of the naming rule. With my One Piece story I can just slap a random name onto a character and develop from there, but with this everything has to match a color so I had to choose from multiple, that includes changing some of the character's names around to fit what it is today. It was quite a lot of fun though, and I hope this introduction is enjoyed. This is just the beginning, so we'll see how popular this gets and go from there; I do have another story I'm also working on after all!**

 **As of right now pairings are undecided as I'm still developing plot. I'll let you guess on who you'd like to see ends up with who though.**

 **That's all for now! Tell me what you think so far, and what I can add in the future. Meanwhile I'm excited for next week's episode! Actually… I still haven't seen the season premiere yet… not a first member haha!**


	3. First Meetings

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the sole property of Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. KP360 claims no ownership save for any OCs, abilities and locations.**

 _ **A few weeks later:**_

 **F:**

" _So this is Beacon Academy… Gron wasn't lying when he said this was going to be different…"_

Beacon Academy, although a school in practice, was more like a fortress to Flare. Considering he's spent about 3 years with an old blacksmith in the deserts of Vacuo, it was only natural he'd be surprised. As he got off the airship he couldn't help but stare with curiosity at the massive schoolyard. The main walkway towards the building seemed more like a main street than anything else, the pristine building is one that gives off an elegant feeling of belonging to him.

" _It's been a long time since I last stepped foot into a school to begin with. Let's hope that this time things go better."_

Gron had forced him to pick out new clothes in the weeks prior, and Flare had to say he was glad he did. His hair was now trimmed and tidier than when Ozpin met him, and his clothes now became a simple black and orange t-shirt and jeans. He replaced his old sandles with combat boots instead; if what he's heard was correct he's going to have to do some fighting, a change of attire was necessary.

The hologram of Glynda Goodwitch drew his attention for a while. Back then he never got to talk with the blond instructor very much, but his first impressions of her were that of a by-the-books, no-nonsense type of person. It's very possible that she will be one of his teachers during his time here, he will have to wait and see. Despite this, he had to scoff as he listened to her talk about peace; there never is truly peace among the 4 kingdoms. Even now the Grimm are scratching at humanity's doorpost and all this so-called peace is just stocking up to combat them.

He could hear some clamoring behind him. Turning his head slightly he saw a blond boy emptying his stomach contents into a nearby trash can. Seems like some people can't handle air traffic. Feeling a slight bit of sympathy for the boy, and added to the fact that he also threw up much earlier in the airship's bathroom, he decided to go over and see if he could be of any help.

The boy felt someone lightly patting him on the back as he removed himself from his pain, he looked up to see Flare's copper eyes giving him a sorry look.

"Don't ask… airsickness is a common thing…"

"Don't we know it… but my guardian had to force me to eat his homemade sandwich before I boarded. As if they weren't bad enough to begin with…" Flare gave a sheepish smile.

"So we both made pretty bad decisions, huh?" the boy smiled. He didn't know what to expect when he got here, but the person standing in front of him certainly doesn't look like a bad person. Maybe they could be friends.

"Anyways, we might as well get to the auditorium. There's supposed to be a speech from what I heard." The boy brushed himself off before remembering. He held out his hand "I'm Jaune Arc by the way."

"Flare. Flare T'Angelo." Flare took his hand and shook hands as well, It's good to get to know some people soon.

On the way the two of them chatted about a few things. Where they were from, why they decided to attend Beacon, and all forms of things. Flare was careful to hide the existence of his Primordial Aura, it wasn't something he wanted to bring out just yet. After the meeting he was more certain that Ozpin is a man of his word, but he'd still be a bit careful when discussing that topic.

Then again, it wasn't like Jaune was the type of person to do anything to him to begin with. The blond was pretty tall, just a bit shorter than he is, and has some muscle mass on him, but overall looks like a kind soul that probably wouldn't care if he had his Primordial Aura or not. During their talk he could feel that there was some uncertainty in his words, as if he was hiding something himself. Flare passed this off as simple nervousness at being at such a big school.

They had walked a bit more, before they heard an explosion go off a few feet ahead of them.

"This is turning out to be quite the morning so far…" Flare noted.

"What seems to be happening?" Jaune asked.

"From the looks of it, that was a Dust explosion, so my guess is either someone's weapon discharged or there's a lot of dust on the scene. Want to go check it out?"

"Might as well, we're already really close."

As they got closer they could see 4 people at the scene. Upon seeing this Flare's expression instantly morphed into a scowl, or more specifically, two of them in particular.

"Umm… Flare? Is something wrong?" Jaune asked as he noticed his new friend's face.

"Oh… You have got to be kidding me!"

 **L:**

Lysus didn't know what to expect to see once he got to Beacon. But a Dust explosion was definitely not one of them.

Being one of Atlas' scientists, he was able to get just a regular bullhead pilot take him here. He had to say, Beacon Academy certainly looked better than Atlas Academy. Whatever Ozpin was capable of, he at the very least made the place look pretty when he took over as headmaster.

Lysus was dressed in a simple white coat, his signature glasses perched in front of his eyes. He is carrying a black briefcase, otherwise there wasn't anything that particularly stands out about him. He had not taken two steps off of his lift here before he heard the sound.

He noticed two girls in the middle of an argument, or more accurately one girl heavily berating the other. One of them, the one being yelled at, is a rather petit girl with black hair tinted at the tips and wearing a black skirt and a red cape. The other however, he had some knowledge of. With an attire of pure white, her white hair tied into a ponytail, Weiss Schnee was someone he had met before.

Just before he could do anything, the explosion happened. By the time the smoke cleared the girl in white, already simmering, got even more livid. Thinking this is the best time to intervene Lysus decided to break up the argument before any more of a scene can be caused.

"Well, this is certainly very interesting so far. I wouldn't have expected the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company to also be attending."

Weiss lifted her eyes a bit, and upon noticing the young scientist her expression became more surprised.

"Wait… I know you! You're Lysus Ao! The youngest scientist in Atlas! What are you doing here?"

"Same reason as you are probably. What? Didn't expect a man of science to be attending a huntsman academy?"

"Well… it wasn't the first thing I would've guessed. But disregarding that, perhaps you can teach this imbecile a bit of common sense on what to do around Dust!" she huffed and pointed at the other girl.

"That's a bit cold… She probably was just distracted…" Lysus tried to calm the situation "By the way, you're not hurt are you?"

"No… but it really was an accident!" the other girl protested.

"Then you should learn to watch where you're going then!" Weiss snapped at her.

"I do apologize for butting in, but did I hear correctly? You mentioned Weiss Schnee." Another feminine voice was heard. The 3 turned to see another girl, this time one with black hair, a black vest and a black bowtie atop her head.

"Yeah, but I don't know who that is. Is she some kind of princess?" the girl in red asked again.

"Weiss Schnee is the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, one of, if not the, largest producers of Dust in the 4 kingdoms." The girl answered.

"Finally, some people who actually recognize who I am, aside from the obvious ones" Weiss sniffed, while looking at Lysus. She was about to be say something else, until the girl added to her previous statement.

"Yes, it is the same Schnee Dust Company that is infamous for its controversial labor practices" and the instant the girl said this Weiss' developed a scowl "not to mention it's questionable business partners, one of which I might add, is standing alongside you."

Now this got Lysus' full attention, and it's something he figured would eventually pop up in conversation. It's true that Atlas' scientific field has delved into areas that are much more morally questionable than most would like, many of them very obscure experimentations that only slips out every so often in drunken dinner parties. However, he had always been opposed to such methods, and as such it has made him somewhat of an anomaly among the scientific community.

"Hey, that's generalizing a bit isn't it?" Lysus protested.

"Perhaps so, but do not assume you're innocent. There have been some troubling rumors about the scientific community of Atlas, specifically on the subject of Aura experimentation. Whether you've been a part of that or not, your association with them still brings up lots of questions." The girl responded coolly.

"And those talks are exactly that, simply rumors. And even if they are true, I will have you know that my goals are always for the benefit of humanity. As for my partnership with the SDC, that is another matter altogether. It's like you said, they are the largest Dust producers in the area. So despite some… unsavory whisperings from behind the scenes, Mr. Schnee has been at least the only one to, at the very least, been able to meet my demands and such they are my main suppliers right now. So perhaps we've-"

"Oh… you've got to be kidding me!"

And just like that, the group was interrupted yet again and turned their attention to a rather irate Flare glaring at them, or more specifically at the two Atleasians in the group. Behind him was a rather confused Jaune who is trying his best to keep up.

* * *

"Hello there, I don't suppose we've met yet." Lysus waved.

"And I don't think we need to. I've heard enough to know all I need, and I have to say it's just typical for Atlas to come up with an excuse for their shortcomings." Flare snorted.

"Excuse me?! Who do you think you are?!" Weiss shouted, taking offense to that. Lysus was rather irritated as well, albeit to a lesser degree. While he's had his disagreements with the council of Atlas, he overall still respected his home and knew that their end goal were always for the betterment of the kingdom.

"Ok… I will pretend you didn't just say that… But what you should do is think before you talk." Lysus gave a shaky grin.

"I have nothing to think about when I'm talking with an Atlesian. All of you are nothing more than a bunch of pompous narcissists who only do things for their own self-interest." Flare spat.

Weiss was trying to come up with a rebuff to that, but soon gave up and simply huffed before storming away.

"Like I said before… Really uncalled for…" Lysus hissed at that. Flare simply snorted and glanced away.

"Yeah! So, uh, what's everybody's name?" Jaune, eager to break some of the tension, instead chose to divert the question "The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!" it was a cheesy line, and there would be a high chance the others judge him for it, but it seemed to have made Lysus and Ruby smile slightly. Even Flare's lips curled a bit.

"You already heard Weiss say it. It's Lysus Ao, and you heard correctly: I am a scientist for Atlas. As for whatever that young lady decided to say, I feel like you can think for yourself." Lysus, also wanted a break from the tense atmosphere, gladly replied "And you, young lady?"

"…Oh! Yeah, Ruby Rose, future huntress in the making!" the little redhead quipped.

Flare stared at the three of them with an unimpressed gaze, until Jaune motioned for him to say something as well. He remained silent, before letting out a sigh.

"Flare T'Angelo."

* * *

" _Is he always this grumpy?_ " Lysus wondered _"And that attitude towards Atlas really makes me want to slap him up the head! From what I've heard we're supposed to be in some sort of team in this school… Oum forbid if I get this guy with me…"_

"I'd rather not have an Atlesian stare at me like I'm some sort of prize, then again I'd wouldn't expect anyone to have taught you anything about manners. Eyes away." He was snapped out of his thoughts by Flare growling at him.

"Alright, alright! Put on collar on it… if people didn't know better they'd think your part Ursa by the way you're growling…"

"I'd watch your tone if I were you, Atlesian. You aren't under the protection of your great kingdom now, wouldn't want a broken nose before you've even began school would you?"

"…You know what? I was wrong. There's no mistaking you to be part Ursa!"

"They're at each other's throats again…" Ruby pointed to Jaune, who was just in the midst of explaining to her how airsickness was a natural thing. Not that she wanted to hear any of it; that was pretty gross! As of right now her experience of Beacon isn't really saying much. It's not even been an hour and she's already been ditched by her sister, managed to piss off a rich girl and, if things keep going the way they are, might even be a witness to a schoolyard fight.

"And we were doing so well…" the blond boy groaned as the two of them continued to size each other down.

"That's it! Someone really need to whip that pompous attitude of yours out of you!" Flare detached two short spears from his belt.

"Oh? Is that going to be you then? Then try to back up your talk!" Normally Lysus wouldn't be so impulsive, but this kid really needed a lesson in manners. He prepared to open his briefcase; a simple show of strength never hurts anybody, does it?

"Oh no… we need to do something about this fast!" Jaune stammered as the situation began heating up once again. He then remembered something:

"Hey! We're supposed to be finding the auditorium right now, if we're late, we might get into trouble…!" he tried one last time to remind them of more important things. Fortunately, the two were clearheaded enough to still hear him.

"…He's right. I'd rather not let some ruffian besmirch my name before I even attended orientation. I will drop this matter for now." Lysus huffed. Flare narrowed his eyes at that but said nothing else.

"Phew… never thought that would actually work." Jaune breathed a sigh of relief.

The four of them continued their quest in finding this so called auditorium. During that time Flare and Lysus still did not look at each other all that much. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and to the two other teenagers it was as uncomfortable as you'd can expect. But, at the very least, there wasn't going to be any more fighting! At least, Ruby and Jaune certainly hoped not.

 **D**

"Today has been suuuch a good day!"

Indeed, Yang Xiao Long had quite a few pleasant surprises today. First she finds out that her baby sister is attending Beacon with her, now she found out one of her close friends is also attending the school. She practically dragged Dawn to the auditorium after finding her.

"Yeah… you mentioned that at least 8 times now… Seriously I can't breathe!" Dawn wheezed through her friend's iron grip.

"But it's so good to see you! I actually know quite a few people here this year! Wait until Ruby hears you're here as well!"

"…Ruby's attending as well?"

"Oh right, you didn't hear about it. Apparently she got moved ahead 2 years for some reason. Not that I mind, I'm actually so happy today!" Yang grinned, pride obvious in her voice.

"Huh, that's actually possible?" Dawn murmured. She'd known the two sisters ever since her days at Signal, and Ruby had incredible potential even back then. To think she's actually progressed to the point where she can stand with the grownups. "Well where is she? I haven't congratulated her yet."

"I dunno, I was hoping she'd get here by now." Yang looked around. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave her behind like that.

"Real responsible, Yang." The maroon haired girl teased, before ducking under a playful punch.

"Hey, I wanted her to maybe make some friends on the way!" Yang protested "Ruby had always been a bit shy around people, maybe this would be good opportunity for her to come out of her shell."

"That's great, but we still don't know where she is. She could- Oh, never mind, there she is!" Dawn saw a flash of red, and upon closer inspection saw that it indeed was the scythe wielder.

* * *

"Oh, thank Oum… Let's go say hi!" Yang grinned. She didn't fail to notice the 3 rather good looking boys next to her little sister as well. Gonna have to talk to her about that!

Dawn was about to agree, until the sight of another caught her eye. She hadn't noticed it before, but watching on the sidelines of the auditorium was a wolf Faunus wearing a rather plain grey t-shirt and pants. She doesn't know exacty _why_ she wanted to go talk to him, but something about him seemed… off.

The same feeling was directed towards 2 of Ruby Rose's male companions. She doesn't know who the one with orange hair is, but she could recognize Lysus Ao quite easily; although he isn't the most public person in the world he made a fair share of appearances when he announced some of Atlas' new scientific breakthroughs.

Dawn couldn't describe it, but he could tell those 3 are far stranger than most, then again considering she has her own disembodied voice in her head that's not saying much.

"Actually… I think I'm going to go make some new friends first. Tell Ruby I said hi, ok?" she replied, already striding towards the wolf Faunus. Hopefully, she can meet Lysus and that orange haired boy later too. Honestly, she had no idea why she wanted to go talk to them out of all people, but it's always nice to meet new friends.

She didn't get two steps before the wolf faunus glanced at her direction.

"I was wondering when you were going to come talk to me."

Dawn blinked, was she that obvious? "Huh, y-you can read minds or-?"

"No, but I had been watching you for a bit. You keep glancing in my direction every so often, and tried numerous times to break away from your blond friend and the first thing you did after that was walk in this direction. So in a way, it was a lucky guess." The faunus responded.

"That's… kind of creepy to be honest…"

"Perhaps, but I like to see it as observant. In my life that had paid off considerably so I see it as something good." The wolf shrugged and held out his hand as well "Drayton Ashwood."

"Dawn Vermillion."

"So, why did you choose me out of all these people to talk to?"

"Does one really need a reason?" Dawn smirked "Well, if you want to know, I just feel like you'd be someone that would have quite a lot to tell people, and I decided you'd be first."

"Now look who's creepy…" Drayton chuckled "Well, prepared to be disappointed then. My life isn't that interesting, and the bits that are considered so are things I'd rather not bring up again."

Before Dawn could further inquire anything more, the sound of a microphone could be heard as Ozpin took the stage.

"I'll… keep this brief. You have travelled here today to seek knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." He began, though this soon took a different turn as his voice hardens "However, when I look amongst you, all I see is wasted energy In need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only get you so far. What you plan to do from here is up to you, to take the first step." And with that he just walked off.

"…Wow… what a killjoy…" Dawn mumbled. Not exactly the best first impression of a school.

"Yeah, that was too straightforward, even if it is true." Drayton shrugged.

"So you agree with him? That what we learn here isn't going to matter at all?"

"If that's how you like to see it, then yes I do. We spend our entire lives learning, but all that knowledge is only useful if you choose to apply them in the way they're needed. To learn without action would be akin to not learning at all." Drayton sighed.

"And that's what you're planning to do?" Dawn inquired.

Drayton was silent for a while at that, before finally opening his eyes and responding "I plan to hone my skills, and use them to maintain the balance of Remnant. It has been that way, and it always will be. Even if certain people claim otherwise…" he then realized Dawn's confused expression, before giving a short bow.

"Sorry, all that must be a lot to take in. I think I will take my leave now. Enjoy the rest of the day." He said before walking off.

"…Well, that went alright…" Dawn blinked. There seems to be lots of peculiar people at Beacon this year. She silently mused over that thought, wondering what the whole ordeal of "balance" means.

 _Later that night:_

 **D:**

After that speech the hopefuls of Beacon were now packed in the auditorium to spend the night. Boys on one side, girls on the other, it was a compromise for the time being.

"Cheer up Ruby, it's only been a few hours." Yang tried to coax her little sister from her moping.

"Exactly, we still have tomorrow, and afterwards. There's no doubt you'll do fine in the initiation, you'll have plenty of time to make a good impression!" Dawn had changed into a simple mint colored T-shirt and sweat pants and tying her hair up into two pigtails. Ruby was still a bit down after the day's events, which the two were quick to note as she wrote a letter to their old friends back at Signal.

"But it's so hard to make friends! I don't know any of these people!" the short girl pouted.

"Well, if it matters at all, I'm here now too." Dawn coaxed "So is Yang. We'll be like a band or something!"

"Yeah! I'm so edgy and cool, I'm practically a rock star already!" the buxom blond grinned. Ruby managed to smile a bit.

"That's great, but I wanted to meet some new people here…"

"What about Jaune? He's…nice…!" Yang grimaced as he saw said blond wearing some… what even is that? She also noted that one of the other boys she saw Ruby walk in with, the one with the mane of orange hair, was desperately trying to convince him to change "That's one friend right?"

"Yeah… but Weiss makes it minus one friend…"

"Well what about the other two guys?" Dawn suggested.

"Oh right…" Yang suddenly perked up before bringing her sister in close "You need to spill the goods!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Ruby yelped.

"You know what I'm talking about! What's it like walking in with a boy in each arm _and_ one chaperoning for you? Oh I'm so proud of you!" Yang gushed "I would pick the two that aren't Jaune though, no offense to Vomit Boy but I much prefer the one with the glasses!"

"Yang! It isn't even like that!"

"That aside, you do seem cordial at the very least. Maybe give them a try?" Dawn pushed.

"Well… they aren't too bad…" Ruby admitted "But they seem to a bit of problems right now. Flare and Lysus don't really like each other, they almost got into a fight!"

"Huh, so their tempers _flared_ up!" Yang cracked. Dawn had to mentally groan at that; how could she forget her friend's preferences for puns?

"…That was unhelpful and unfunny…" Dawn sighed "You haven't changed at all…"

"Oh, can it you're just-"

"Hast mine ears heard a fair maiden speaketh my name?" a velvet-smooth voice made the 3 girls turn around as they saw Lysus striding towards them. Yang laughed after hearing that.

"Seriously? Do you actually use that to pick up girls?"

"The delivery definitely could've been better." Dawn agreed.

"…Ok, maybe that wasn't the best idea but I did hear my name being dropped a couple times in this general direction!" Lysus grinned "And thus, I came over like anyone who wished to hear more about themselves. And don't worry, I've heard enough. Miss Rose, you can consider Lysus Ao as an acquaintance of yours! I will assure you despite my interactions with Flare D'Angelo I am willing to see you as a friend, and I'm sure he's willing to as well!"

"Are you sure? After what I just had to witness?" Lysus scowled when he heard Flare walk over as well, a grimace clear on his face and making the girls raise an eye each. He looked them over for a bit, before sighing.

"Then again, what the Atlesian's shortcomings happen to be shouldn't change the idea of mutual friends, and I'm here to meet people too, perhaps we can start with each other?" the orange haired boy chose his words carefully, hesitating a bit between each. It's clear he hasn't talked to this many people before.

"Ah! There we have it! 2 more friends!" Yang pumped a fist and caught Ruby in a bear hug "I just knew my little sister has her way with people! It's only a matter of time before your cute charms work their magic!"

"Please stoooop!" Ruby whined.

"Hurry! We have to find you even more friends! Let's see here… Oh, what about her?"

 **A:**

"I have half a mind to report you to the teachers here. You know you aren't supposed to be on this side of the auditorium, right?" Blake Belladonna gave a small scowl at the sizable black cloud near her. As everyone else had either been preparing to go to sleep in preparations for tomorrow, or already dozing off. She figured she'd catch up on her favorite pastime of reading for a bit before she'd get some shuteye, but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

To be fair, Drayton had no idea why he hasn't gone to sleep yet. For the most part he'd stayed in the darker areas of the large room, observing the many hopeful students here. The Grandmaster had always taught them that observation is the first step of learning, and from what he could see he had lots to pick.

He's seen plenty during his time here, by witnessing a ginger girl pestering her stoic companion, to the athletic redhead that was sitting on the girl's side by herself, occasionally shooting a glance at a blond wearing… what even is that? He took in the sights and noises from everyone, and it seems everyone came from different backgrounds, but one things is for certain:

These people are rather naïve, a bit too hopeful for their own good. Being a member of the Band of Dark Night has let him become more accustomed to the inner workings of this world; and it is not fair. He could tell some of these individuals have been through some harder times, the loss of family, having no sense of place, they seem to have matured a bit more on the inside even if they didn't show it. Most of the others however, though skilled enough to get into a place like Beacon, have yet to experience much of what the real world gives you.

And there was something about one of them that just rubbed him in a different way.

He could tell that she is a Faunus; being one himself made identifying others of his kind easier. That was hardly his concern, as the feeling he gets from her seems to indicate she's been through more than most of the others in this auditorium, along with something disturbingly familiar.

And that's how he decided to get closer and observe her more, thanks to that semblence of his. To most people it's just a dark patch of smoke floating through the room, but it seems the Faunus girl is more experienced on the matter.

"I am merely unable to sleep right now, and seeing as you're the closest one to my part of the room I figured I'd come and check to see what's up." Drayton shrugged, which in his non-corporeal form is indicated by the cloud shaking a little bit.

"Regardless, I had figured you would be more familiar with the rules here, Drayton Ashwood…" it took a while for him the get her name, Blake wasn't exactly conversable at the moment.

"I've done a bit of rule breaking before, never stopped me before." Drayton replied "Besides, it's been a while since I've seen that book again, I used to like it a lot."

"Never took you as a reader before."

"It was an old pastime, but I still pick up a book when I get the chance sometimes." The Grandmaster of the Band of Dark Night had a comprehensive library for the organization. It was the source of almost all the literature the group gets.

"Well, I'd appreciate it more if you'd-" Blake began again, but it soon became clear that she wasn't going to get any reading done tonight.

"Hey, I saw you in the courtyard this morning!" Ruby remembered as Yang dragged her towards the black haired girl.

"Ah, so you two know each other. That's great! Anyway, my sister was wondering what you were doing!" Yang informed her.

"I mean, it's pretty obvious…" Blake sighed "I was reading-"

"It's a pretty good read. A story about a man with 2 souls, each vying for control over his body. It's a tale of choices and morality." Drayton nodded.

"Whoa, talking cloud?!" Ruby squeaked.

"…Oh, wait hold on." And the black smoke drifted back towards the boy's side as Drayton solidified again "There, is this more comfortable? The name's Drayton Ashwood."

"And _why_ were you on the girl's side?" Yang deadpanned.

"Like I said, really liked her book."

"Yup… it's a pretty good read. And it's something that I hope to get back to." Blake muttered "…as soon as you all leave…"

"Sounds lovely. My parents travel a lot, they sometimes bring me back books from other places." Dawn smiled as she came over to see "Good to see you again too Drayton."

"Indeed, did not expect us to meet again so soon."

* * *

"Another party?" Lysus wandered over as well "Watcha talkin' about?"

"More people?" Blake scowled "Don't you think this is a bit-?"

"Look, I don't know about you guys, but I want to get to initiation tomorrow. And for that to happen, I need to sleep." And then Flare joined the group, albeit more irate due to the increasing noise level.

"I do apologize, this started with me inquiring about a book and now it has spiraled to this." Drayton bowed "It is a story about a man with 2 souls and-"

"Really? That's what all this is about?" Flare growled "A book club debate? And a rather ridiculous one at that…"

"Hey, that's a bit much isn't it?" Dawn spoke up "It may not be to your tastes, but some people enjoy the fantasy elements."

"It sounds stupid." Flare grunted "And two entities taking over a body is one of the most overused tropes in any story. It is not at all believable in the slightest."

"With all due respect…" Drayton narrowed his eyes "What makes you think that such a thing is completely fiction?"

"No, he's got a point." Lysus shook his head "There are much better things to read. A bit of fiction is nice once in a while, but let's get back to reality here."

"And how is that grounded in reality? The soul is a mystifying subject to begin with, and with all the stories of people having different personalities, it could be-" Drayton argued, until:

"Sir, please. I am a scientist, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about" Lysus scoffed "At least listening to what you are saying. Having two souls is an impossible thing, end of story."

"I can't believe I'll ever side with an Atlesian on anything, but guess there's a first for everything."

"I do not think science is the only thing you can used to argue such a matter." Drayton replied firmly.

 **D:**

And the 3 actually began arguing, 2 against one. Those who observed the phenomenon were rather dumbfounded to say the least.

"Are they… _actually_ arguing over a book? _My book?!"_ Blake whispered.

"…How did it get to that?" Yang blinked.

"Boys… I'll never understand them. I'm going to-" Dawn was just about to leave, but fate came at the strangest times as her mind blanked and words filled her head.

* * *

" _ **The gathering of knights has commenced"**_

" _Polybius… you can't be serious…"_ those 3? Them? The three teenagers currently arguing over how a supposed story of fiction could be grounded in reality? Those are the so called people she's supposedly going to be a part of?

There's simply no way. Dawn shook her head before resuming her walk to her sleeping bag.

Then she paused.

* * *

All day, the minute she looked at them, she could've sworn there was something unseen between them. She felt it when she first spoke with Drayton, and felt it again when she met Lysus and Flare earlier in the evening.

A force of attraction, that seemed to be bringing the 4 of them together.

Of course this might all just be her mind playing tricks on her, just her going crazy. Considering no one else knows about Polybius, and for good reason too lest she wanted to be labeled as insane, she could just be imagining things. She shook her head as she took one more step towards her sleeping area.

Before promptly spinning around.

Yeah, she was totally going crazy. But Polybius hasn't been wrong so far, and maybe just one more time she'll take a chance.

"Actually" Dawn drew the attention of the still arguing group "I agree with Drayton here."

"You see? Now- wait, really?"

"Dawn Vermillion… I expected much more from you…" Lysus shook his head with disproval.

"You're kidding?" Flare grimaced "After all I said?"

"What you said can be considered, but there's much more to think about here. Our soul is a very complex object, and the idea of having 2 only opens up more possibilities."

"I can't believe this… for crying out loud, our own Auras are linked to our soul! If a person had 2 souls, they'd be fucking invincible! But have we seen that yet? No!" Lysus proclaimed.

"And how would you know that? How do you know it won't happen one day?" Dawn smirked.

"I don't, and that's how I know it doesn't work that way! If it were possible, we'd know already!"

"And he calls himself a scientist… Isn't that like the opposite of science?" Drayton chuckled.

"No, the Atlesian has a point. The book's idea was-" Flare began, until:

"You people have got to be KIDDING me!" a shrill voice sounded. Weiss Schnee was not happy in the slightest as she saw the source of all this noise. What were these ruffians thinking making such a racket? She'll have to teach the lot of them about etiquette.

"People are trying to sleep here! I have no idea how 3 children normally behaves at night but I expected much more from Ly-"

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" the four of them shot back, and then promptly reignited their debate, leaving Weiss to gawk in disbelief.

"Well… we'll see you in the morning then, Dawn?" Ruby and Yang chuckled awkwardly.

"I'm am never reading this book again…" Blake sighed.

"Why I never! Who do they think they-" Weiss fumed, and then she saw Ruby and Yang "YOU AGAIN?!"

"Oh no…"

* * *

Of course, that little side argument was completely ignored as those 4 were completely dominated by their own topic.

"All I'm saying is that you have to have more of an open mind towards this!" Drayton pointed out.

"For what? Some trash idea of a person having two souls like nobody's business?" Lysus shot back "I've already presented proof on why it doesn't work!"

"The book is about souls fighting over the body… WHY WOULD A PERSON EVEN NEED TWO SOULS IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS?!" Flare gave his own imput.

"Again, you don't know that will always be the case~!" Dawn taunted "What if I told you I have another voice inside me that gives me advice rather than harm me?"

"Then that makes you a nutjob."

"Real mature there, Flare."

And it kept going. Sometimes Drayton and Dawn would claim one thing, only for Lysus and Flare to wave it off. Other times the opposite side would point something out, only to be shot down by their competition. The four were lost in their own little space, all that mattered was them there, and that's all they could hear.

Of course that can't last forever.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"

"DO YOU NOT KNOW THE CONCEPT OF SLEEP?!"

"PUT A CORK IN IT AND SHUT UP!"

It took almost the entire amphitheater to finally break them from their little tirade.

"Oh… it's late… AW CRAP WE STILL HAVE INITIATION!" Dawn panicked.

"I was going to tell you off at first… how did I get caught up in that?" Flare mumbled in disbelief.

"We made too much of a scene… ok even though I'm right let's just go to bed and continue this another time…" Lysus muttered sheepishly.

"A good idea, I sort of dragged you all into this. I apologize on behalf of everybody." Drayton nodded.

And thus, the four of them wandered back to their sleeping areas. And all was silent.

Until:

"I'm just saying with all things considered-"

"LYSUS FOR THE LAST TIME YOU CAN'T JUST-"

"AW COME ON!" the remaining students realized that their suffering was not over. They had no choice but to do their best to drown out the noise of the 4 loud teens as they resumed their argument.

It's safe to say that none of the 4 had any real sleep that night.

 **A/N: months later I return to this. Got lost in the plot for a bit as I had to change my draft on it for quite a lot of future elements. I think this story might be updated slower than Monster of the Straw Hat Pirates simply because it takes more planning, but I hope you all had fun with this chapter, and I'll see you in another one.**


	4. A Test part 1

**Disclaimer: RWBY is the sole property of Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum. KP360 claims no ownership save for any OCs, abilities and locations.**

 ** _F:_**

When morning finally came, Flare had to force himself to get up.

" _Note to self: next time there's a debate of any kind, don't be a part of it…"_

Splashing a bit of water on his face, he groggily made his way to the cafeteria. Hopefully there would be some coffee or anything to help him wake up.

It didn't.

By now the rest of the cafeteria had begun to pile up with potential students, all clamoring with excitement and nervousness, maybe both. Flare didn't hear any of it, his eyes had a hard enough time opening as it is.

"Rough night?"

* * *

A calming voice made him turn around, strange considering that with all the noise around him, this one stood out clear and tranquil. He turned to see a boy in a simple green and gold qipao smiling softly at him, his black hair contrasted by a streak of pink.

"Let me just say, I now have a newfound hatred for books…" Flare groaned.

"Ah, that was you last night. It was quite lively." The boy nodded.

"Yeah, really sorry about that…" Flare waved apologetically.

"Don't be." The boy smiled "Meeting new people often brings a sense of excitement for certain people. It did sound quite fun though, and although I'm not exactly an expert on books there were some great points from all side."

"Heh, well maybe you should've joined us." Flare joked lightly "Give us a new perspective?"

Before the boy could speak again, he was cannonballed into by another. The orange haired girl with the white and pink skirt had a big smile on her face as she plopped down a stack of pancakes.

"Heyyyy Ren! Who ya talkin' to? A new friend?" she then turned to the orange haired boy "What's your name? Ren usually knows this but I want to ask myself! I'm Nora!" Nora Valkyrie's bubbly self would always bring light to a dark world, but Flare only got more confused.

The boy, Ren, smiled sheepishly "Flare is very tired, Nora. It'll be best not to disturb him."

"Ohhh, well you know what wakes people up? Pancakes! Ren makes really good pancakes but he doesn't let me have any syrup on them which kind of misses the point. I always want to try though!" the girl took out a bottle, which Ren hastily snatched away to her pouting.

"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too I guess." Flare mumbled.

"Sorry, Nora can be a handful." Ren apologized "You should eat something though, initiation is in less than an hour."

"And he needs to wake up first!" Nora beamed as she sidled up to him before, out of the blue, struck out with her finger and tapped him on the nose "Boop!"

Flare would've flinched normally, maybe even lashed out, but this time he felt strangely relaxed at that. The girl may be perky, but she seems like she doesn't mean any harm. Hesitantly he reached out with his own finger and then waved it around slightly.

"Ummm, Blip?"

Nora burst out laughing "What's that supposed to be?"

"Oh, I thought we were doing a thing here…"

"See Ren? He's more awake now!"

"Yes, good job, Nora." The boy shook his head and smiled "I think we'll be getting ready now, guess we'll be seeing you around." With that the two of them departed with Nora giving him another wave.

Flare smiled; it seems that there are good people at this school.

 ** _D:_**

"Oh, look who it is?" Dawn drawled as Flare walked up. Her locker position isn't too bad, close to both Ruby and Yang and enough to contact other people. Seems like Flare has a number close to hers "Come to ask more about books?"

"Shut up, you were a part of it too!" the boy snapped, the little debate the two of them were in had taken quite late into the night, and with how early they had to rise, they both wanted to pass out.

"Well, can't help it now. Are you ready for initiation?" Dawn asked.

"Is anybody? This is a huntsman academy we're talking about here. Whatever they have it's bound to be strict." Flare sighed. A long absence from any education had him quite nervous, especially considering the terms of his acceptance was due to only a special scenario, he really hoped there didn't have to be anything too difficult.

"Well, according to some people, apparently this is more of a first bonding type of thing." Dawn explained "We'll be sent off somewhere, where we'll eventually find a partner and potentially a team of four. It's supposed to encourage teamwork or something like that."

"Oh, well that makes it easier." Flare shrugged "If it's a partner or a team, I guess I can play along. Just don't put me in a group with any of the Atlesians."

"I don't think you'll have control over that. It's more of a random chance kind of thing." Dawn sweatdropped.

"Then Oum better be cutting me some slack, because I really can't bare another pretentious-"

"Hey, feelings mutual." Lysus Ao also didn't have such a good morning, his hair tassled and glasses eschewed. He shot a glare at both of them as he pulled his briefcase from his locker while adjusting his clothes.

"You look like you literally just got up." Dawn smirked.

"No thanks to you two!" the scientist scowled "You're fortunate I managed to download a map of the school so I can find this place quickly, because if I get kicked out before initiation I'll have you both reported!"

"Oh will you just stuff it?" Flare snapped "Your precious Kingdom can't do shit for you here."

"Yeah? Well maybe my tools can!"

"Try me!"

Dawn had to physically slap the two of them, causing them to snap to attention.

* * *

"Ow!"

"Hey! Uncalled for!"

"Then simmer down, save your energy for initiation." Dawn scoffed "Jeez you're acting like two beowolves fighting over prey!"

The two glared at each other, but relented.

"Oh there you are Dawn, I was looking for you!" Yang had managed to find her, pulling Ruby along with her "Can you tell her how important it is to meet other people?"

"But why can't I be on a team with you? My big sister doesn't even want to be on the same team as me!" the red reaper wept.

"I just said I want you to socialize more and meet other people!"

Dawn sighed "Like I said, it's apparently random on whose team you'll end up on. So maybe you two will be together, maybe not. Maybe we'll even be on the same team?"

"Oh, at least I'll know some people that way!" Ruby smiled.

"Yeah, just pray you don't end up on the same squad with this curmudgeon here." Lysus chortled. Flare whirled on him instantly.

"And that's better than some pretentious hipster, how?"

"They're fighting again…" Ruby grimaced.

"We're all pretty testy after last night." Dawn sighed, before realizing something "Speaking of which, where's Drayton? I haven't seen him all morning."

"Maybe he overslept?" Yang shrugged.

"I don't know, he doesn't seem like the type to miss things."

"Well he better hurry up!" Ruby grinned "Or else **Crescent Rose** will be dicing up all the opposition and he won't get a scrap!"

* * *

"That weapon of yours certainly is something innovative!" Lysus grinned "Seeing it yesterday was certainly interesting!" the little girl smiled sheepishly at the praise.

"How does it look now?" Dawn smiled at the girl's enthusiasm over her sniper scythe "Did you make any upgrades?"

"A few! But for the most part it works pretty well! I even took down a group of bad guys the other day with it!"

Dawn frowned; she never heard about this…

"Ah, well glad that overcomplicated lawn mower is still kicking ass for ya!" she teased "I'd still prefer **Fahrenheit 451** , though, it's simple but effective."

And Dawn's metal staff extended, she gave it a twirl as the tips lit up.

"A combine-flamethrower within a Bo staff…" Lysus analyzed "Sneaky, having a threatening blade hidden within a conspicuous cloak."

"Sick metaphors." Yang teased.

"It's good for catching Grimm off guard." Dawn explained "They think it can't kill them, until it roasts them alive!" she then turned to Flare "What about you? Any particular weapon you want to share?"

The orange haired boy looked at them for a second before shrugging and pulling out two short golden colored spears, their tips shaped like a raven's beak.

" **Huginn and Muninn** " He explained "Good for parrying and short stabs, and can also do this" he gave them a flick, and with the whir of machinations the twin spears became two shotguns.

"Range is an issue, which is why they can do something further." Flare then returned them back into spear form before attaching the ends to each other to form a double-ended diamond tipped spear taller than he is "Apart they are individuals, but together they form one entity: they become **Gungnir**."

* * *

"WOW! YOU NEVER SHOWED ME THAT YESTERDAY!" Ruby squealed in excitement.

"That's because I didn't think I needed to." Flare shugged.

Lysus glanced at the weapon for a while longer "This material, it doesn't look like anything I've seen… and the way it's decorated is certainly unique, where did you get it?"

Flare gave a defensive look "My mentor and guardian made it for me, he lives all the way in the deserts in Vacuo, they have materials there."

"Now I see it, definitely has Vacuoan works." Flare bristled, ready to defend Gron's work. Instead, Lysus' next words were rather appreciative.

"He's got some talented hands, the craftsmanship is impeccable." The scientist smiled, before noting everyone staring at him.

"What? I might not like the guy very much but I can appreciate talent when I see it!"

"Uh… thanks, I guess…" Flare mumbled, not expecting that.

The girls all smiled, it seems like there's hope between the two boys yet.

"What about you, Lysus? You also have a cool weapon right?" Ruby grinned. Lysus paused at that.

"Oh, that's a secret, you'll see it soon enough."

Ruby pouted at that "That's what you said yesterday… I wanna see!"

"Trust me, some surprises are better when you wait for them." Lysus assured her.

"What secrets are you hiding?" Flare accused. Lysus only smirked at him.

"You'll see it during initiation. Trust me, it'll blow you out of the water!" with that the scientist claimed his briefcase and walked off.

"Well, how secretive." Yang commented.

 ** _L:_**

" _Beacon certainly is prepared for things…"_ Lysus observed as he wandered through the halls. Between the first years waiting to go to initiation, to the more senior students getting ready for class again, the place is already filling with activity.

"I certainly do miss this." He said to himself.

* * *

The last time he's stepped foot into an academy was a number of years back, back in Atlas he, like many people, wanted to be a hunter. His parents, both being researchers themselves, put together enough lien to support him. School was like any other, he made friends, he attended classes, and all wasn't too bad. Class was quite easy for him, a bit too easy perhaps as Lysus easily excelled at every academic subject. How simple everything was back then…

Then everything went downhill.

His smile dropped when the memories came back. It was a time when he realized while having brains got him through classes, physical demands were of a whole different issue. It wasn't that he was physically inept; his records were quite good in those departments as well even. But none of that matters when he received the news.

" _I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Ao, but it's just hasn't been heard of that anyone can become a hunter with a condition like your son's. It's an important trait for anyone to have, but for hunters especially so. If nothing changes, then we might have to be looking at a change of careers."_

The thought made Lysus clench his fist. No, he overcame that problem now. Even with the hindrance he managed to overcome eventually worked out, his talents for the scientific arts were soon recognized by Atlas' scientific committee, and the next day he promptly dropped out of the academy and began his tenure in Atlas' main research facility. Soon, a good chunk of Atlas' advancement in technology had his name behind it. And his rise didn't seem to slow.

" _That's right,"_ Lysus nodded to himself " _I'm not that kid who cried to his folks when he realized his dreams were never to be realized. I managed to create my own belonging and overcome the challenge that I once faced. Beacon is the perfect place to get a fresh start."_

It certainly feels weird to be coming back to school after so long though.

* * *

"Oh come on, think about it! This is the winning team Snow Angel! You, me and Pyrrha!" the familiar voice of Jaune brought his attention up. The scientist could see that the blond boy was trying his best at putting up a much more confident look than he lets on. Unfortunately for him, Weiss isn't buying it.

"What are you doing here again, and why?"

"I think Jaune can be a great leader!" the tall redhead beside Weiss spoke with a smile. Lysus recognized her easy enough. Pyrrha Nikos, in addition to being a top student, was also champion back in Mistral. He's seen her enough times on Pumpkin Pete's Marshmellow Flakes to at least know what she looked like. In person, she's as every bit as impressive as she looked on TV. Sporting her signature brown corset and sash, the athletic girl seemed to be rather out of place.

"See? That's some support! Well, Snow Angel, what do you say about that?"

"Ugh…" the heiress groaned.

"Well, for what it's worth, I will also put in my support for Mr. Arc's claim to leadership." Lysus grinned as he walked behind him and placing an arm around the blonde, making him jump slightly.

"Wait, you do? Uh- I mean, there we go! We can all be a great team!"

"Don't encourage him…" Weiss groaned "And besides, the three of us are way above your caliber for you to touch."

"What do you mean by that?" Jaune was confused.

Weiss scoffed at that "Me, I am an heiress, and Lysus here happens to be one of Atlas' brightest minds. Lastly comes Pyrrha, who's not only an accomplished celebrity but a star fighter as well, we don't have the same level of air as a commoner."

"Wow… you guys are really up there, huh?"

Lysus shook his head "That's a bit too over the top isn't it, princess?"

"Hey, I'm just trying to make the best team here. I already have Pyrrha, and I'm also contemplating having you." she whipped out a notebook from nowhere "Now let's see if you can also secure a position on my team?"

The scientist laughed at that "Sorry, Weiss. Teams aren't decided yet so anything's possible. Besides, I like to keep my options open to more people than just those from back home." He smile at Pyrrha "Though if it comes to that, it'll be interesting having a cereal mascot as a team member, as much as I despise Pumpkin Pete's."

The Spartan giggled at that "Why so much disdain for a cereal?"

"Not the worst thing I've eaten, but it's still a bit too sweet." Lysus smiled "Then again when you have my job most of the stuff you ingest are meal replacements."

"That doesn't sound very healthy." Pyrrha noted "Not that the cereal was any better."

"Eh, can't help it. I'm a pretty busy guy most of the time. Gotta sacrifice my health for the greater good."

"Hey! I'm trying to interview you here!" Weiss tapped her notebook impatiently.

"I like the cereal!" Jaune called again, though all but Pyrrha ignored that, with the Spartan smiling softly at the comment.

Before anyone else could say anything, the voice of Glynda Goodwitch was heard over the intercom.

" _Will all first year students report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. I repeat, all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation, immediately."_

"Well, would you look at that? It's showtime." Lysus smiled before heading in that direction "See you all there!"

* * *

Beacon Cliff oversaw a vast expanse of green, the forest down below being the setting of today's initiation. Ozpin and Glynda were already waiting for the prospective students as they all gathered at the spot.

"Ok, now I'm worried, where is Drayton?" Dawn whispered anxiously. Lysus only sighed, though he too is wondering where the wolf Faunus went off to. The last time they saw him was last time, debating them on that book. He had expected to see him here, but Drayton was nowhere to be found.

"He'd better hurry, or it's going to start without him." Lysus agreed.

"Flare!" Dawn called down 2 to her right, and the orange haired boy turned as well "Have you seen Drayton?"

"No!" Flare yelled back "Why do you need to know?"

"Never mind!" Dawn shrugged. Really she shouldn't be worried; she hardly knew the guy, and while it'll be a pity for him to make it all the way here only to slip up at the last moment it does ease up the initiation. Still, she can't help but be worried.

"Welcome, prospective students, today is the day that you will potentially start your 4 years with Beacon Academy." Glynda addressed the crowd "During this time, you will not be alone in your endevours, and it is here today that you-"

"My apologies Miss Goodwitch, it seems I managed to make it just in time."

* * *

"Oh, that's his voice." Dawn breathed a sigh of relief "It's about time he-WHAT THE IN THE HECK?"

"Well, at least we know why he's late…" Flare murmured.

"Over prepared much?" Lysus blinked.

* * *

Numerous mutterings and surprised whispers sounded around, and for good reason too. Just yesterday, Drayton Ashwood seemed like just a regular Faunus. The figure decked out in dark grey armor with a wolf's mask looked nothing like him. The only thing visible to the others were his eyes; the long sword strapped to his back drew the rest of the attention.

"Whoa… someone's all bundled up!" Yang commented, though she herself is rather impressed.

"So cool…" Ruby on the other hand had stars in her eyes. Everyone else's reaction was more of a mix between the two.

* * *

"Ah, hello again you four." Drayton managed to pick out the three people he conversed with last night "I take it we're all prepared."

"…" none of them knew what to say.

"Ah, you seem distracted by my change in attire-"

"Nahhh, ya think?" Lysus drawled "You mind explaining what all this is about?"

"Hmm? Whatever do you mean? Are we not about to face initiation? It only pays to be prepared." Drayton shrugged.

"Yeah but- most people just take like a weapon and some combat gear and call it a day. This," Dawn gestured rapidly "this is like you're preparing for some kind of war!"

"Every battle is a war, Dawn, and this is just what I normally wear when the Grandmaster requires me for missions."

"Grandmaster? Missions? What are you-?" Flare questioned.

"If we're all done here, there's your initiation that we still need to get on with." Glynda narrowed her eyes "Please save your questions about each other when there's actually time."

* * *

She then turned to Drayton "Mr. Ashwood, your Grandmaster has alerted us about the Band of Dark Night's practices. Should you pass initiation, we will allow for some of them but other ones will be subject to changes, will that be of any issue?"

"There should be none, I am a guest at your institution and I will adhere to whatever rules are set." Drayton responded with a nod.

"Good, then as I was saying, today will also be the day you will be assigned a partner. This partnership will last for the entire 4 years of your stay at Beacon, so it should be advised that you find someone you work well with."

The crowd all had different opinions about that.

" _Well… that just makes it more difficult…"_ Both Flare and Lysus thought to themselves, both catching the glares they shot at each other.

" _Please don't let me end up with him…"_ was the thought on either of their minds.

* * *

"Your initiation today takes place from within the Emerald Forest. The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your designated partner for the next 4 years." Ozpin carried out the rest of the instructions.

"Your goal in this exercise will be making it to the northern side of the forest, where you and your partner will then retrieve a relic from the abandoned temple located there. During this time you will be met with opposition. Kill everything in your path and do not hesitate, or you _will_ die."

"Ehehe… he's not serious about that, right?" Jaune whimpered from beside Flare. The orange haired boy just sighed; this school is pretty serious.

"Once you've retrieved the relic, you will then make your way back to the cliff. The relic will be guarded by you at all times. We'll be assessing that along with your standing as the grading for this initiation." Ozpin continued "During this time, we will be monitoring you all discreetly and watching your performance, but we will not intervene."

"Wow… school's certainly changed since I've last saw it." Lysus commented.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked one last time. Jaune meekly rose his hand, but was promptly ignored.

"Good, now please take your positions."

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be." Dawn realized, before bracing herself.

"Um, sir, how will we be getting down there? Will you be dropping us off?" Jaune stammered out. During this time, the rest of the prospective students were being launched into the air one by one.

"No, you will be falling." The professor stated simply "Please find a suitable way to land."

"Oh ok that's-wait, falling?

* * *

The launch pads continued to spring upwards, sending people into the air. Lysus watched them go by one by one, but when it was his turn, he promptly walked off, bringing the spring pads to a grinding halt.

"Mr. Ao, what are you doing?" Glynda asked with a hint of irritation.

"You know, I just want to tell everybody just how great that we all are. No matter what the result of today is, remember that you all tried and you're amazing for that!"

"Mr. Ao, please return to your spring pad at once!" Glynda commanded.

"What is he doing?" Ruby whispered to Yang, who could only shrug. Other people were also of similar thought; Weiss gave an annoyed roll of her eyes while Blake simply raised an eyebrow.

"Now, don't worry about that Ms. Goodwitch. I'm well prepared for this enough that I, to save you the effort, will launch myself off!"

"Huh? What's going through his head?" Dawn questioned.

And thus Lysus' briefcase was snapped open, and with one hand he held the Black Box. He smiled as he pressed down into it, and every student's eyes widened as they witness the multiple holographic blueprints appearing, scrolling through them until he stopped at one and promptly selected it.

"Mr. Ao, please hurry this up." Glynda sighed. Having already received the scientist's files from James, she knew what the item is, but she never expected him to show it off this early.

"Just a sec, it's warming up!"

It was the result that got everyone talking.

* * *

"Oh… My…" Ruby slowly broke into a grin "OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS SO FREAKING COOL!" nobody even said anything about that outburst, everyone had similar thoughts.

"I don't… this isn't…" Yang mumbled.

"No way... something like that actually exists?" Jaune's jaw dropped.

"REN LOOK! HE'S TURNING INTO A ROBOT!" Nora pointed excitedly. The quieter boy only nodded, but even he was quite impressed.

* * *

Once the light died down, AT-MK04 Skybreaker has formed completely around him. Lysus gave everyone a wave as jets on its wing-like appendages began to activate on his back.

"I can't believe this…" Dawn whispered.

"So this is what Atlas is capable of…" Drayton muttered in amazement.

"…You hid this the whole time?" Flare accused. Lysus only grinned.

"Told you it'll blow you out of the water." Was all he said, before with one blast he launched himself into the sky and streaked in the direction of the Emerald Forest, laughing all the way. Ozpin only shook his head in amusement, while Glynda was a bit more peeved. It took a while before the shock and awe died down.

* * *

"Ok, now that that's over with, we will continue." And the launching resumed.

Dawn looked at the other three "Looks like we got ourselves something to live up to." She grinned before her own launch pad sent her upwards.

"Time to meet our destiny." Drayton nodded, and was launched as well.

As every other student went into the sky, Jaune turned to Flare. "Hey man, you got any advice on how to brace yourself?"

Flare looked at him once, before smiling and shaking his head.

"Don't look down." Was a he said as the ground beneath him propelled upwards and the next thing he knew wind was blowing in his face. Behind him he could hear a rapidly approaching scream as he saw Jaune tumble below him through the air. He smiled; whatever he's about to face, he will be ready.

* * *

Back at the cliff, Ozpin observed everything with a faint smile on his lips.

"We certainly have some interesting kids this year." He noted. They've just taken their first steps, and now their first real test is beginning.

 **A/N: And my little side project continues, after all this time. Mostly it was due to how my original plan for the series didn't work anymore with the reveal of Volume 5, but past that I simply was working too much on One Piece: Monster of the Straw Hat Pirates. That aside, it is good to still return to this, and as I'll always do, we'll keep trucking along. So for the few of you that keeps tabs with this story, fear not. It has not been cancelled and it won't be for the foreseeable future, so keep your hopes up for more!**


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